


Together.

by malecnificenttyrus11



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 9-1-1 - Freeform, Black Eye, Buck comforts him, Comforting!Buck, Eddie gets into a fight, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional!Eddie, Self-Blame, open-ending, reassurance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 04:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20988941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malecnificenttyrus11/pseuds/malecnificenttyrus11
Summary: The last thing Buck is expecting to happen at 2AM is for a newely-sober, black-eyed Eddie appearing at his door. Buck brings Eddie inside, determined to find out what happened to him. The black eye isn’t even the beginning of what Buck is about to hear. Will Buck be able to help Eddie deal with his issues?





	Together.

A knock on Buck’s door startles him out of his sleep. He groans, rolling over and looking at his clock.

2AM. 

‘Who the hell is knocking on my door at 2AM’ he thinks to himself as he slides out of his bed, making his way down the stairs and to his door.

He fixes his hair, unlocking the door and pulling it open.

He immediately recognizes the person standing in his doorway.

“Eddie? What are you doing here?” He asks, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Eddie shrugs, still not looking up completely, “I didn’t know where else to go.”

Buck frowns at those words, “What’s going on? Where’s Christopher?” he questions.

Slowly, Eddie looks up to meet Buck’s eyes.

Buck’s eyes widen, “Shit, Eddie! What happened to your eye?” he asks, voice laced with concern.

“I-“ Eddie tries to explain, but Buck interrupts him.

“Did you get robbed? Is Christopher okay?” He asks. Eddie nods.

“Christopher is fine...I dropped him off to Carla earlier.” Eddie explains. Buck lets out a sigh of relief.

Buck pulls his door open farther, gesturing for Eddie to come in. Eddie slowly walks in, sitting down on Buck’s couch.

Buck closes the door, walking into his kitchen to grab a bag of frozen vegetables. 

He walks over to the couch, sitting beside Eddie and offering him the vegetables.

Eddie offers a small grateful smile, groaning in pain when the cold hits his eye.

“So, do you want to tell me what the hell happened to your eye?” Buck questions. Eddie sighs.

“I went to a boxing match with Lena.” Eddie explains.

Buck raises an eyebrow, “Lena?”

Eddie nods, “Yeah. A firefighter from the 136. Met her the other day during the Tsunami.” 

Buck nods in understanding, “Oh...So are you two seeing eachother then?”

Eddie shakes his head, “NO, no. It’s not like that. We’re just friends.” he explains.

Buck nods, “Okay...so you went to a boxing match. That doesn’t explain your eye and swollen lip. Normally someone attending a boxing match doesn’t leave with a black eye.”

Eddie frowns, “I might have gotten in the ring for a match.”

Buck’s eyes widen, “You WHAT? What the hell do you mean you went into the ring for a match?”

Eddie avoids Buck’s concerned and semi-judgemental gaze, “I might have been a bit wasted, and taunted one of the fighters.”

Buck shakes his head.

“And he threatened me. So...I got into the ring and took him on. As you can see...it didn’t go so well.” Eddie says sarcastically, laughing softly.

Buck rolls his eyes, “I don’t see what’s funny. God, Diaz...you are such an idiot.”

Eddie nods his head, “Yeah, I know that now.”

Buck frowns, “Why would you do something so dangerous? So stupid? Did you even think about Christopher?” he questions.

“That’s all I was thinking about, Buck. Christopher.” Eddie explains.

Buck raises an eyebrow, “I don’t understand.”

Eddie stands up, walking over to look out Buck’s window. Buck stays seated, giving Eddie the time he needs to collect his thoughts.

“Christopher has been having nightmares. Ever since the Tsunami...he’s woken up crying, screaming. Every. Single. Night.” Eddie says. 

Buck frowns, pained by the thought of Christopher in that state.

“He screams in his sleep, “Buck! Buck! Help me!” and then he’ll wake up sobbing.” Eddie continues, voice cracking.

Eddie begins to pace, “I took him to see someone. They think he has PTSD. God, Buck. You have no idea how it ripped my heart out to see Christopher like that.”

Buck stands up, crossing his arms, “Jesus, Eddie. I’m so sorry.”

Eddie shakes his head, “You aren’t the one who should be sorry...Buck. I should be. This is all of my fault.”

Buck frowns, shaking his head, “Eddie, that isn’t true.”

He walks over to Eddie, resting a hand on Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie flinches away from the touch.

“Don’t, Buck. Please...” Eddie’s voice cracks.

Buck ignores the hurt he feels when Eddie pushes him away.

“It is my fault. Not only did I nearly get Christopher killed, but you too. If I hadn’t forced you to leave the apartment...you and Christopher would’ve been safe.” Eddie chokes out.

“Eddie-“ Buck tries to intervene, but Eddie cuts him off.

“It’s true, Buck. Jesus, I’m so sorry. You nearly died, after the hell you’ve already gone through, because of me.” Eddie cries out, walking over to sit back down on the couch.

Buck ignores the tears burning behind his eyes. He walks over to Eddie, kneeling down in front of him.

Eddie avoids his gaze.

“Hey...” Buck breathes out, grasping Eddie’s shoulder and forcing him to meet his eyes.

“This is why you got drunk? Why you got into a fight? You thought you deserved to get hurt?” Buck questions softly. Eddie nods, looking down at his lap.

“I did deserve it. I deserve worse, honestly. Not only am I a terrible father, but I’m also a terrible friend.” Eddie whispers.

Buck shakes his head, “You stop it right there, Diaz. That is so far from the truth.”

Eddie goes to argue, but Buck continues.

“Eddie, you listen to me, Okay? Before I met you...I had no intention of being committed to anyone, whether in a relationship or with family. My life consisted of meaningless one-night stands to cover up how lonely I actually was.” Buck explains.

Eddie still looks down at his lap, “And then I met you. And you completely changed everything. You were stubborn, and egotistical, and put me in my place more than anyone else ever has...and I thought you were a jerk,” Buck pauses, smiling when he thinks back to him and Eddie’s antics, “But then I saw you with Christopher.”

“The way you love that kid, and would do anything for him...Eddie, that was the wake up call I needed. You are an incredible father, and man.” Buck says. 

Eddie looks up, meeting Buck’s eyes.

“Eddie, you saved my life man...and you can’t even see that. I would’ve been a goner if it weren’t for you.” Buck continues, resting a hand on Eddie’s knee.

“Buck, I-“ Eddie tries to interrupt, but Buck stops him.

“Eddie. You’ve been here for me through everything I’ve gone through. My breakup, my leg injury, my health issues lately. You and Christopher were the one constant thing in my life to motivate me to keep going. And I’m not going to listen to you sit here and blame yourself for what happened.” Buck reprimands him.

Eddie’s eyes widen.

“If you hadn’t gotten me out of the house that day, I probably wouldn’t be here. If it weren’t for Christopher, I would’ve had no reason to keep going.” Buck admits.

A tear rolls down Eddie’s face, “Buck...I-thank you. I needed to hear that.”

Buck nods, grinning at him, “Whenever you need to hear it, I’ll be here to remind you that you matter, and that you’re a good guy. Just like you did for me. Thank YOU, Eddie.”

Eddie lets out a sob, and Buck kneels forward to wrap his arms around Eddie.

“Shhh, you’re going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.” Buck reassures him, holding him closer. 

Buck pulls away, looking right into Eddie’s eyes and wiping a tear away with his thumb.

They look into each other’s eyes for a few more seconds, a million unspoken words between them.

“I love you.”

“Thank you for saving me.”

“We are going to get through this together.”


End file.
